Bass Fly Fishing

Paulson

Paulson

Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2012
Messages
241
I have access to a few private ponds, I was thinking of going out and catching some Largemouth on flies. Basically, Where do I start? I'm reading about pond and lake ecosystems and the bug life with in. What flies should I be looking for purchase? And am I going to need a heavier weight rod to cast them out there (I have a 8.5 5 wt)? What about leader combinations and tippet?

Thanks for the help! It looks like a fun Summer coming up!

Paul
 
Paulson wrote:
Thanks for the help! It looks like a fun Summer coming up!
Paul
Click to expand...

It does indeed - you'll have fun.
For starts, you can fish with your 5WT. A bigger rod would be ideal but you can start with what yuh got. Although folks don't think of largemouth bass (LM) as a fish you target with nymphs......however, they're suckers for nymphs. I'm convinced that LMs eat a lot of dragonfly nymphs and I catch many LMs on nymphs when I'm targeting sunfish. Anyway, any nymph about an inch long is fine: Hare's Ear will work. In addition, have a handful of Clouser Minnows and Wooly Buggers. For the surface, get some basic poppers. Since you'll be using a 5WT, you might opt for poppers in somewhat smaller sizes (ie a "head" about the size of your thumbnail or smaller). Leader is easy:standard taper with a tippet of 8-10Lb test line. If the pond is brushy or weedy use a tippet of 15 lb test or so.
Good luck chasin bass.
 
Fishidiot wrote:
Paulson wrote:
Thanks for the help! It looks like a fun Summer coming up!
Paul
Click to expand...

It does indeed - you'll have fun.
For starts, you can fish with your 5WT. A bigger rod would be ideal but you can start with what yuh got. Although folks don't think of largemouth bass (LM) as a fish you target with nymphs......however, they're suckers for nymphs. I'm convinced that LMs eat a lot of dragonfly nymphs and I catch many LMs on nymphs when I'm targeting sunfish. Anyway, any nymph about an inch long is fine: Hare's Ear will work. In addition, have a handful of Clouser Minnows and Wooly Buggers. For the surface, get some basic poppers. Since you'll be using a 5WT, you might opt for poppers in somewhat smaller sizes (ie a "head" about the size of your thumbnail or smaller). Leader is easy:standard taper with a tippet of 8-10Lb test line. If the pond is brushy or weedy use a tippet of 15 lb test or so.
Good luck chasin bass.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, I might just drop the coin on a 7/8 package. There seem to be a few good deals of quality set ups. I say that because When I get to heavier flies with my 5wt, it can be tough to turn over. Part of that is probably self inflicted.

So I would assume a 0X tapered leader with mono or even flouro for the weeds? I might just build my own leaders.

Yes, I am excited for some warm weather pond fishing with a new twist. It sounds like a blast. Do you ever fish ponds at night?
 
Check out the warm water section of the forum too. I'll be hitting up some ww species this spring, just started ff this winter
 
That I did, I figured I'd post here for us beginners. Good stuff on the warm water section.
 
For Farmpond bass my favorite flies are dragonfly and damselfly nymphs and foam bodied adults.........HAVE FUN!!!!
 
Small artificial mice/frogs and top water (white) poppers work real well. Anything that resembles a crayfish will work nicely. Last year while I flyfished I realized that if I sped up the action to a point beyond the striking speed of sunnies and blue gills I was able to catch more bass than anything. The 5 wt will work great unless you are fishing lillypads and thick grass.

Yesterday I got a 4lb sucker with a Brassie nymph on my 3wt - gave me a great fight.
 
I will keep that all in mind, thank you guys! Looks like I only need a select few flies, those big bass flies are pricy. The rest I have minus the leader. Smallie season is right around the corner/here to on my local streams to!

Also, does anyone know a cheap way to float and fish down the Brandywine? Kayaks are out of my price range right now.
 
in a Float tube. Just don't get the hook stuck in it!! You could check with Bass Pro Shop or Cabelas.
 
You could always do a canoe trip with Northbrook. Not too expensive for a day.

I've had trouble catching bass in the brandywine before late June/July, but that might just be certain areas. Either way the massive fallfish and other panfish are a lot of fun until the bass fishing heats up. Wish I could be around for the cicadas!
 
Thanks for the help penny pack!

Thats right, lost of cicada talk...making my summer look good!
 
I've had the best success for bass with poppers when the topwater action is on. Streamers and wooly buggers work too. When the weather warms up more a cricket imitation (joe's hopper) can be deadly.

It's probably too early to rely on much topwater action just yet but be ready for it, when it's on it's a blast. Start by casting to the edges of cover, let it sit, then short pops.
 
Last summer when I was chasing SMB I used mostly poppers with limited success. Will SMB chase the same flies FI listed in post #2?
 
Stagger_Lee wrote:
Last summer when I was chasing SMB I used mostly poppers with limited success. Will SMB chase the same flies FI listed in post #2?
Click to expand...


Poppers can be very effective and a ton of fun for SMBs.

For some odd reason, smallies have not been "on" poppers very often last season and the season before. Many FFers have reported the same thing.

Keep trying, though. The surface bite is more likely to happen when the water warms a bit. Lottsa fun...my favorite way to fish smallies and largies for that matter.
 
I've been having a great time with sliders and gurglurs. Sometimes subtle is good.
 
My daytime popper action in the Susquehanna North Branch was extremely slow the past 2 seasons. I had some amazing days on topwater poppers in seasons past, the topwater bite is sometimes difficult to figure out. Wooly Buggers and Streamers accounted for most of my daytime smallies.

After dark however all bets are off, that's when I've had the best action. Whatever displaces a lot of water will get attention, the river really comes alive at night.

I would say the best topwater action in my region is at least a good month away, probably more.
 
What part of the Susquehanna has been posted off limits for Bass Fishing?
 
PennypackFlyer wrote:
What part of the Susquehanna has been posted off limits for Bass Fishing?
Click to expand...


http://fishandboat.com/fishpub/summaryad/z03regs_species.pdf

 
Sometimes for smallies, the key to surface poppers is to pop it, then let it sit for a few seconds, then pop...sit...pop. I have found that I get a lot of strikes after the popper lands and I let it sit for a few seconds.

 
BelAir, I;m slightly different in my approach - I like to keep the popper moving faster than the sunnies and bluegills can get to it and yet slow enough for the bass to nail it. I'm now looking forward to the end of June when I can target them legally.
 
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